Preposition a

Hardly any other preposition has so many different meanings as the preposition a. In addition to spatial and temporal conditions, a is used to express the way it is expressed.

Speciality:

If a stands before the masculine article el, a and el merge to al.

The following relationships are expressed with a:

Relation

Example

Direction

Voy a la calle

Distance

Valencia está a 170km de Alicante

Purpose

Cecilia ha venido a visitarme

Point in time

La cita es a las ocho de la mañana

Period

A los 15 días me devolvió las deudas

Frequency

Voy a clases de español dos veces a la semana

Age information

A los veinte años viajé por primera vez a Chile

Manner

Me encanta el pollo a la plancha

Movements

Hicimos una caminata a pie

Times

A las cuatro en punto

Cardinal points

Chaco está al norte de Argentina

Infinitive

Voy a estudiar Medicina

Indirect Object (Dative)

A nosotros nos gusta la idea

Direct Object (Accusative) for the designation of persons or living beings

Recojo a Linda

a is connected according to certain verbs

acostumbrarse a– get accustomed (to)

dedicarse a– devote oneself to something

oler a– smell (after)

saber a – taste (after)

In addition, there are fixed phrases “infinitive constructions” consisting of a verb followed by the preposition “a” and a second verb in the infinitive. The first verb is conjugated and can have a transferring meaning.